Pepperbelly's fire in Fairfield not seen as suspicious

Four days after a five-alarm fire ripped through Pepperbelly's Comedy & Variety Theater in downtown Fairfield, foul play has been ruled out as a cause, yet the exact origin of the blaze remains a mystery to fire investigators, officials reported Tuesday.

The fire, which started around 6:55 p.m. Friday inside the three-story building at 849 Texas St., is believed to have originated somewhere in the club's attic has been ruled "accidental," said Fairfield Fire Battalion Chief Robert Stoffel.

According to Stoffel, there is nothing to indicate that the start of the fire, which he said caused more than $1 million in damage, was in any way suspicious.

Stoffel said though the inside of the club will have to be "gutted," it remains unclear how structurally sound the building's walls are and how much additional work will be required. Despite some water damage to the floor, a bar adjoined to Pepperbelly's did not sustain any smoke or fire damage and may reopen in the near future, according to Stoffel.

Fire investigators with the company that insured Pepperbelly's have since taken over the investigation in hopes of determining the exact source, Stoffel said.

"They're digging a little deeper into it," he added.

Prior to the start of the fire, Pepperbelly's had reportedly just opened its doors for a show. All of the club's occupants were able to exit the building to safety, officials said, as the first wave of firefighters began battling the flames inside the building.

At the height of the fire, city of Fairfield Public Information Officer Gale Spears said up to 100 firefighters from neighboring agencies had responded to the blaze.

Firefighters had the fire contained to the building of origin around 10:40 p.m. and the mutual-aid crews were released, Spears said.